Where Google's First 10 Employees Are Now

May 2024 ยท 1 minute read

Salar "SK" Kamangar, an Iranian-born biology student at Stanford University, was Google's ninth employee, according to Mercury News. From his first days at Google, Kamangar got fully invested in the company's future, putting together their legal and financial wings, writing up Google's first business plan, and helping craft the workplace culture Google is still known for today. Kamanger went on to lead the development of Google AdWords, the advertising program that has been one of Google's greatest successes.

Perhaps Kamangar's most defining legacy, as Fast Company points out, was his push in 2006 for Google to scoop up a two-year-old video streaming website named YouTube. Needless to say, this acquisition was a resounding success, and Kamanger was rewarded for his efforts by being made YouTube's CEO. Leading the world's biggest video platform is a far cry from a biology degree, but hey, life takes you to unexpected places.

Kamanger stepped down from YouTube in 2014, according to Bustle, though he has continued to be actively involved in the Google world. His YouTube post was taken over by Susan Wojcicki, herself a major icon in Google history, since the company's first workspace was set up in her Menlo Park garage. (As Google's 16th employee, she just missed out on this list.)

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